Addressing Tribal Risk Concerns: Application of Traditional Ecological Knowledge

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Addressing Tribal Risk Concerns Application of
Traditional Ecological Knowledge

• Brenda Brandon
• TOSNAC Coordinator
• Technical Outreach Services for Native American
  Communities

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TOSNAC Program

• Hazardous Substance Research Centers
• Outreach www.hsrc.org
• Haskell Indian Nations University
• Haskell Environmental Research Studies Center
• Kansas State University
• Center for Hazardous Substance Research
• http//www.engg.k-state.edu/CHSR/
• Kansas University
• Center of Indigenous Nations Studies
• http//www.ku.edu/insp/

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Methods of Implementing Technical Support

• Educational Format
• - Presentations and Written Materials
• - Public Meetings Focused Work Groups
• Facilitating Stakeholder Coordination
• Scientific Opinions
• -Document Review and Comments

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Outline

• Traditional Ecological Knowledge
• Cultural Risk Concerns at Tribal Mine Sites
• Evaluation of Western Scientific Processes-
  addressing risk concerns
• Integration of Science and TEK long-term risk
  management within Tribal communities

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Traditional Ecological Knowledge

• Collective knowledge acquired by a Tribe as a
  result of the peoples interaction with the
  environment and occupation of a region over many
  generations
• Applied to resource management decision-making
  structures
• Fisheries, wildlife, fire and water resource
• Agriculture and mining projects
• Environmental impact statements, health studies

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Western Science TEK

• One track thinking
• Focus on physical concerns
• Values based on scientific measures
• Man is treated separate from environment
• Ethics- separate component
• Use of quantitative interpretation to analyze and
  communicate risk

• Holistic thinking
• Priorities encompass all levels of reality
• Values based on survival of Culture
• Man is a component of the environment
• Ethics are incorporated into tradition
• Communication of concerns typically have
  qualitative focus

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Study of Contaminants in Environmental Systems-
Impact of Contaminants in Specific Media
Effect of X in Air
Effect of X in Water
Effect of X in Soils
Effect of X in Biota
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Study of Contaminants for Cleanup at Superfund
Mine Sites
Air
Ore
Surface
Water
Soils
Groundwater
Sediment
Biota
Terrestrial
Aquatic
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Integrating Science and TEK
Effect of X in Air
Effect of X in Water
Effect of X in Soils
Understanding Impact of Contaminants
Effect of X in Biota
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Quality of Life and Understanding Cultural Risk
Communication

• Walking In Balance Teaching, Learning, Knowing,
  Living in Harmony with the Circle of Life
• Physical
• Mental
• Psychological / Emotional
• Spiritual

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Environmental Impact and Cultural Risk
Considerations
Environmental Justice
Sustainability
Natural/Cultural Resources
Social Enhancement Economic Opportunity
Health Environment
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Natural Resource Preservation Central to Tribal
Culture

• Water quality/quantity
• Land protection and management
• Biota plants, animals, ecosystems
• Other cultural resources
• archeological, historical, ceremonial,
  recreational, fishing, hunting and gathering
  sites

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Conventional Risk Assessment Process

• Tool used to make decisions-
• to protect human health
• Involves collecting data
• - type of hazard
• - toxicity of contaminant
• - exposure to contaminant
• Involves calculating potential risk to exposure
• (risk characterization)

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Art and Science of Risk Characterization
Hazard Identification - probability - severity
Fate and Transport - contamination of media, -
contamination of resources
Ecological Exposure
Human Exposure
Cultural Exposure
Cultural toxicity
Ecological toxicity
Human toxicity
Risk Characterization
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Holistic Concept of Risk Characterization
Hazard Identification - probability - severity
Ecological Exposure
Cultural Exposure
Risk Characterization
Human Exposure
Fate and Transport - contamination of media, -
contamination of resources
Ecological toxicity
Cultural toxicity
Human toxicity
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Indigenous Concept of Risk Characterization
Hazard Identification - probability - severity
Ecological Exposure
Cultural Exposure
Risk Characterization
Human Exposure
Fate and Transport - contamination of media, -
contamination of resources
Ecological toxicity
Cultural toxicity
Human toxicity
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TEK Teaches us about Risk Considerations

• Aspects of Contaminants
• Contaminant transport
• Exposure- contact, eating, breathing
• Affect of contaminant- health, environment and
  culture
• Sensitive populations- infants, children,
  pregnant women, elderly, and subsistence hunters,
  fishermen and gatherers

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Expression of CultureTribal SpecificUnique to
Tribal Identity

• Reflects close relationship with natural
  environment

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Tribal Specific Risk Considerations

• Subsistence living intake level considerations
• Culturally significant sites, plants and animals
• Traditional ceremonial medicinal practices
• Ecosystem Balance
• Ecological constitution of environment, including
  human and spiritual aspects

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Examples of Exposure Factors
Exposure Factor Urban
Subsistence
Drinking Water 2 liters per day
4 liters per day Fish Ingestion
20 pounds/yr 120
pounds/yr Game, plants
gardening 570
pounds/yr Duration of exposure 30
years 70 years
( generations)
Frequency of exposure 180 days/year
365 days/year
Cultural Activities NO
YES
Subsistence lifestyles result in 10 to 100 times
more exposure than urban lifestyles (Harper,
2001).
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Defining Tribal Environmental Justice Concerns
Environmental Laws
Tribal EJ Lens
Natural Resources
Sustainability
Social Economic
Envt Health
Relative to Preservation of Cultural Lifestyles
and Maintenance of TEK (practices, activities)
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Communication Dynamics Addressing Tribal
Cultural Risk Concerns

• Human health is critical
• Tribes consider a much broader range of
  environmental effects and risks
• Added levels of Tribal cultural, social, and
  historical relations to land
• Calls for effective communication between
  agencies and Tribes
• Government to Government
• Community Involvement

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Risk Considerations

• Environmental Justice considerations- multiple
  sources of contaminants
• Multiple contaminants and complex environmental
  and biological systems
• Bioaccumulation
• Subsistence Lifestyle considerations
• Cumulative Risk- including interactions amongst
  and interferences between heavy metals

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Bioaccumulation

• Many Metals are known to accumulate up the food
  chain
• Soil/water
• Microorganisms
• Insects
• Small Fish
• Predatory fish/birds/mammals
• Senior food chain animals - Man

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Bioaccumulation- Specific to each Ecosystem and
Relationship to it
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Selenium Impact to BiotaOne metal, one set of
impacts

• Fish
• Bioaccumulation of high concentrations in liver,
  muscle, and eggs
• Primary effects are poor reproduction
• Secondary concern would be additional
  bioaccumulation further up the food chain

• Mammals
• Chronic Effects
• Hair Loss
• Hoof Damage
• Poor Reproductive Function
• Copper Deficiency
• Acute Effects
• Lung damage
• Heart damage
• Birds
• Chronic effects
• Poor Egg Hatchability
• Poor growth
• Poor feather growth

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Breathing

• Degree to which metal occur in the air is
  dependent on its form
• Some forms of metals vaporize more easily
• Small particle size allows particulates to be
  dispersed more easily (dusts)
• Burning metal contaminated materials
• Inhaling contaminated smoke
• Trees and other plants grown on contaminated
  sites may accumulate metals
• Boiling contaminated waters
• Inhaling contaminated steam
• Aluminum, Beryllium, Cobalt, Manganese

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Unique Respiratory Exposure Potential

• Anything that could result in increased breathing
  of metal vapor or contaminated dusts
• Heavy exercise in areas of high contamination
• Smoking metal contaminated materials
• Burning metal contaminated materials in enclosed
  areas

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Ingestion - water

• Surface Water
• Groundwater
• Metal concentrations dependent upon
• Contamination rate
• pH
• Water flow rates
• Concentrations of other minerals

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Methyl Mercury Cycle
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Ingestion - plants

• Plants can accumulate a variety of metals
• Dependent upon soil availability/solubility
• pH
• Metal form
• Exchange capacity
• Organic matter
• Roots typically higher levels than leaves or
  fruits
• Arsenic, Cadmium, Manganese, Nickel, Uranium

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Ingestion Risks

• In contaminated areas
• Hand to mouth exposure
• Field work
• Hunting gathering
• Plants and root crops
• Surface soil contamination

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Exposure Through Cultural Activities and Practices

• Traditional Practices
• Recreation- fishing, boating, swimming
• Gathering material
• Preparing harvest
• Crafts and material manipulation
• Ceremonial Practices
• Medicinal Practices

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Ingestion - meats

• All meat tissues have metal concentrations
• Meats from contamination areas may be higher than
  non-contaminated sites
• Contaminated Animal tissues
• Highest metal content usually in the kidney/liver
• Muscle and fat are also high for some metals
• Arsenic, Selenium, Thallium, Uranium, vanadium,
  and zinc

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Unique Ingestion Exposure

• Ingestion of highly contaminated animal tissues
• Contaminated medicinal or ceremonial plants

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Exposure Summary

• There are numerous toxins
• and ways to be exposed
• Most exposure routes are
• common
• Some routes are unique to
• a specific custom, tradition
• and/or place
• TEK provides foundation for understanding,
  communicating and managing cultural risk concerns

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Elements of Tribal Risk Management Model

• Background research-oral and written history,
  cultural and ecological resource applicability,
  archeology, scientific records
• Examination - current state environment
• Explicit communication of scientific information,
  incorporates traditional cultural and ecological
  knowledge into decisions

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Tribal Community Involvement in Risk Communication

• Tribal Council
• Tribal Environmental
• Natural Resources
• Departmental staff
• -health, water, housing
• Locally impacted
• community members
• Cultural Committee Members, Elders and Youth

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Traditional Ecological Knowledge

• Provides foundation for development of sound
  community-based risk management practices within
  Tribal community for use over many generations

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Value of Employing Risk Assessment and Risk
Management

• Assess impact of proposed environmental action,
  including cleanup
• Assess impact of environmental hazard and
  consider cumulative risks
• Develop risk reduction strategies
• Contribute to development of Tribal Comprehensive
  Environmental Plan
• Community involvement in environmental
  decision-making processes

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www.tosnac.org

• Technical Outreach
• Services for Native
• American Communities
• (TOSNAC)
• BrendaBrandon_at_msn.com
• Toll Free 1(866)880-2296